I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to stitch bonded fabrics, and more particularly, to such fabrics used as fluid-retaining fabrics such as in incontinent products.
II. Description of Prior Art
Various incontinent pads have been employed such as in hospital settings to retain fluids expelled from the body while also protecting the bed linens therebelow. To this end, a typical incontinent pad has a knit or woven facing fabric layer to which is quilted a felt layer. The facing fabric layer provides a soft, comfortable layer against the patient's skin, and cooperates with the felt layer to hold the large volume of fluid that may be expelled from the patient. The felt layer further provides rigidity to the pad so that it does not crumple up and become uncomfortable under the weight of the patient.
A barrier layer, typically of vinyl or polyurethane with an outer tricot fabric layer, is attached to the felt such as by being stitched to the edge of the quilted layers or by being bonded to the felt with adhesive. To provide for better patient comfort, it is desirable to wick fluids away from the topside of the facing fabric so as to maintain as dry a surface as possible. To this end, one highly desirable facing fabric developed and marketed by Standard Textile Co., Inc., under the mark Comply.RTM. is an integral web fabric that provides a hydrophobic upper surface and a hydrophilic lower surface in wicking communication with the upper surface. With that fabric, fluids are wicked away from the face of the fabric and into the hydrophilic, fluid-absorbing lower portion where the fluids may be retained.
While incontinent pads have enjoyed wide-spread success, the manufacture of such pads presents significant cost concerns, especially due to the need to separately manufacture the facing fabric and the felt layer, and to then apply the quilting process to hold those layers together.